It was a Canadian Battle Royale for the 2014 X Games Slopestyle Gold, as Mark McMorris and Max Parrot each threw down three impressively progressive runs, in a back and forth battle for first place. For the first time in slope history, the triple would be the trick to win it. Throughout the final, rider after rider put together flawless runs, only to fall on the final booter trying to stomp the elusive triple.
A roster of veritable slopestyle royalty showed up to finals— Torstein Horgmo, Stale Sandbech, Aleksander Oestreng, Mark McMorris, Chas Guldemond, Seb Toots, Emil Ulsletten, and Max Parrot— and it became crystal clear, as first runs wrapped and riders walked away from their falls, that the bar of progression and technicality necessary for a medal worthy slopestyle run has risen dramatically, pushing even riders of this magnitude of talent to yet another level.
Fresh off of winning Friday night’s Big Air competition, Parrot came into Slopestyle Finals with a visible edge, stomping two doubles and back-to-back triples and kicking off what ended up being a incredibly heated contest. Not one to be beat, Mark McMorris swooped in on Parrot with his second run, hucking a double wildcat and topping Parrot with a (controversial) 95.44. Parrot stepped up the plate for his third run, however, throwing down the same doubles and back-to-back triples yet again, this time upping his game in the rail section and earning himself a 96.33 and his second Gold medal of 2014 X Games.
McMorris, with a third a final run left to win an X Games Gold, went down hard on the rail section, cutting his run short and fracuring a rib just two weeks before he is set to compete in Sochi. Stale Sandbech, who took 3rd in qualifiers, ended the day with bronze, while Torstein Horgmo, the top qualifier, ended up in 6th.
1. Max Parrot: 96.33
2. Mark McMorris: 95.44
3. Stale Sandbech: 90.00
4. Aleksander Oestreng: 70.33
5. Chas Guldemond: 60.00
6. Torstein Horgmo: 46.33
7. Sebastien Toutant: 19.66
8. Emil Ulsletten: 17.33
Seemingly spurred on by the aggressive progression of the Men’s Slopestyle Final, the ladies of slope came out and put on one of the fiercest X Games contests we’ve seen to date. Silje Norendal cleaned up what was an impressively high scoring final, breaking 90 with her first runand taking a brief stint in second behind Jamie Anderson and her first score of 95.66, before stomping a highly technical run that included a bs 270 out on the first rail, an fs seven rodeo off her toes, bs five, cab seven, and switch bs five on the jumps. Norendal earned a 96.00, and with that, the win. Jamie Anderson couldn’t regain the top podium spot, but she walked away with a silver medal and fire lit under her as she heads on to Sochi.
Spencer O’Brien was right in the mix as well, coming out swinging with her second run and taking a 94.00 and the bronze medal. For their parts, Aimee Fuller and Anna Gasser were on point throughout the competition, and though they ended the day in 7th and 5th, respectively, both ladies laid out solid runs that, had they stayed on their feet, would have scored among the top runs of the day.
Overall, both the ladies and men of slopestyle showed up to throw down two of the most technical, progressive, impressive finals we have ever seen. The stage has been set for Sochi, and it has become clear that the Olympics will truly be anyone’s game.
1. Silje Norendal: 96.00
2. Jamie Anderson: 95.66
3. Spencer O’Brien: 94.00
4. Kjersti Buaas: 88.00
5. Anna Gasser: 87.66
6. Isabel Derungs: 84.66
7. Aimee Fuller: 63.00
8. Sarka Pancochova: 28.33
